The 232nd Street Overpass Project is proposed to include:
-Two 3.5-metre lanes with a 1-metre shoulder on each side
-A shared pedestrian/cyclist lane on both sides of the overpass with a protective concrete barrier
-A vertical realignment of 75th Avenue to connect with 232nd Street at approximately 4.5 metres above existing ground level
-A guard rail for the full length of the overpass
-A width of approximately 16 metres
-Overhead lighting for the full length of the overpass

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

I was talking to a friend yesterday about politics and young people in Langley, lamenting the fact that in local government it seems to be something for older people. In Langley, we counted the amount of people under the age 30 that are really involved in local government advocacy and politics. We could barely fill a hand. Why is this? I know that many of my peer-group run to Vancouver as fast as they can because they feel that Langley isn't a community that shares their ideals and desires for an vibrant, urban environment; it's suburbia to them. A friend of mine who is engaged in Vancouver issues (he moved from Langley to Vancouver) told me, "I'm just a boy who enjoys frequent transit, a solid grid network and mixed-use development"

When young people do run for local government out here, they run into ageism. As another friend from Abbotsford said, “what experience do young people have to draw on? Very little - idealism and noble sentiments only go so far.” I have a feeling that many other people feel the same way. The thing is that we do need some fresh ideas, otherwise we end up with government that runs on the status quo. The last time I checked, the status quo isn’t working. Would a younger person be more interested in preserving green-space, building a sustainable community, engaging young people, and investing in aging infrastructure? I think so, after all it’s our future.

Looking back at previous councils in Langley, young people are far and few between. Is politics truly only for old people in Langley? Is it really good that many young, engaged citizens want to leave Langley as soon as? What would it take to change the mentality out here?

The Evergreen Project will provide a LRT connection that runs along North Road and Clarke Road from Lougheed Station through to Port Moody, along St. Johns Street and Barnet Highway to Coquitlam Central Station, north on Pinetree Way, and terminating on Pinetree Way in the vicinity of the Coquitlam campus of Douglas College. Alignment Properties can be summarized as follows:

-A travel target time of 20 minutes between Coquitlam City Centre and Lougheed Town Centre Station.
-Ten stations with nine stations identified and two candidates for the potential additional station (Cameron station – at-grade on North Road at Cameron Street and Douglas College – at-grade on Pinetree Way at the entrance of Douglas College north of Town Centre Boulevard).
-A maximum capacity delivered of no less then 2,500 passenger spaces per hour per direction at the maximum load point in the year 2010 and 3,500 passenger spaces per hour per direction at the maximum point in the year 2021.
-Off-street bus facilities at four stations.
-A maximum allowable headway time of six minutes between trips during peak hours (and 15 minutes between trips during the early morning (before 6:30 am) or late night (after 11:00 pm) service times).
-Stations designed to reflect the application of the Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) standards.
-Potential Future Extension to the City of Port Coquitlam.
-A start of construction date scheduled for September 2007.-A start of operations date scheduled for September 2011.

Of course we all know that the Province changed the system to SkyTrain on a dime and I'm a bit concerned about the current planning going on for rapid transit in Surrey. You see, TransLink selected light rail for the Evergreen Line after doing an "analysis of rapid transit alternatives for servicing the northeast sector. A multiple account evaluation of the alternatives was carried out and considered factors such as capital and operating costs, ridership, travel time, the fit with urban development plans, community effects such as noise and aesthetics, potential environmental effects and ease of implementation." This is the same thing that TransLink is doing right now for the South of Fraser.

If TransLink completes the rapid transit study and selects a technology other than SkyTrain, I have this fear that we'll end up with SkyTrain and a project that instead of being built in the next 10 years, will be built in the next 20. Maybe things have changed, but it seems that whenever the region chooses a cost-effective rapid transit system, we end up with SkyTrain.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

So CBC News did a poll on what people think about transportation infrastructure and how they are willing to pay for it. As was evident in our recent municipal elections, there was no backlash or “punishment at the polls” for mayors that voted to improvement transit in our region. In fact, our region seems to be willing to have a mature conversation about implementing a user-pay system to pay for our roads and transit.

CBC News asked the questions “What will help reduce the time spent on the daily commute?” The majority of Metro Vancouver residents said that transit improvement will reduce congestion and only 26% of residents thought that building more roads will reduce congestion. Also interesting is that the majority of residents would consider not driving if public transit was improved.

What I found really interesting is that only 41% of people in Vancouver think that “my local government has enough money to pay for road and public transit improvements”, yet 79% of people think that “I pay enough taxes to cover the cost of maintaining roadway infrastructure and building new roads / bridges as needed”. This either means that people are willing to pay for more public transit and not new roads, or that people don’t want to pay with taxes and would rather go to a user-pay system.

When given the option of how to pay for improving transit infrastructure people thought that the federal government should be paying its fair share which isn’t happening today. Barring that in Vancouver, a congestion charge (variable road tolling) or just road tolling was the preferred way to pay for transit and roads. Only 33% of Metro Vancouver residents do not support the concept of tolling.

I think that South of Fraser mayors like Peter Fassbender who are taking about road pricing to pay for transportation are on the right track as people don’t want to be tax indirectly for it. I certainly hope that our region's mayors can find a solution to pay for improving transit and getting rapid transit out in the South of Fraser.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

If you're like me, and there is a good chance if you're reading this blog, you are a bit of a transit geek. I was browsing through TransLink's website and came across a document called Expo Line Upgrade Strategy. While it is interesting to see what the future may hold for the Expo Line, I was particularly interested in the stats about the line.

While looking at the previous graph, it's easy to see that Commercial-Broadway is the busiest station in the system. It also has the most pass-ups.

Observed Pass-Ups in April 2009 and September 2009. Click Image to Enlarge.

While reviewing the report, I found that it makes no mention about how the new fare gates affect the system and will actually reduce the people per hour that can access the system. Stations like Metrotown have to be complete redesigned because of this. It's not very often that a transit agency installs something that reduces the capacity of the system. The total package of upgrades in the report totals about $1.1 billion. This is a hefty price tag and does not expand access to the system in places like Surrey.

Monday, November 21, 2011

With the election over and done, it has become clear that people are happy with the direction that our local governments are taking in building more sustainable communities and providing transportation choice in our region. Some in the media stirred the pot claiming that people have had enough of bike lanes in Downtown Vancouver or better transit service in the rest of the region. If the results of this election are any indication, people are ready for transportation choice and in the South of Fraser are ready for light rail.

The biggest change was in the Township of Langley where the voters clearly had enough of Rick Green’s style of politics and vision for Langley.

In fact, Township voters elected a new mayor, Jack Froese, who believes that “livable and sustainable communities need bus networks, pedestrian and bicycle friendly neighbourhoods and streets. Not just in Walnut Grove, not only to Brookswood, our Township includes all of Aldergrove, and so should our transit.” Township voters also elected new councillor Michelle Sparrow who believes that “we need to focus on creating mixed-use, walk-able communities, which provide at our doorstep, shops and services we would otherwise have to drive to.”

The future for a sustainable Langley is very bright and I’m hopefully that we will see positive change in the next three years.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

The Sustainable Transportation Coalition, of which South Fraser OnTrax is a member, sent the following letter to Mayor Peter Fassbender:

November 16, 2011
Mayor Peter Fassbender
City of Langley

RE: Support of Increased Gas Tax and Other Funding Measures for TransLink

Dear Mayor Fassbender,

The Sustainable Transportation Coalition would like to recognize your leadership and support of TransLink’s “Moving Forward” initiative. Your successful efforts to bring the Provincial Government to the table and encourage other Metro Vancouver mayors to support the plan will help ensure badly needed bus service improvements throughout the region, additional transit upgrades South of the Fraser such as rapid transit on Highway 1 between Langley and Lougheed Town Centre, and the construction of the Evergreen Line.

The Coalition fully supports you in developing a range of funding sources to allow TransLink to complete the 2040 plan and create a truly sustainable transportation system that is essential for the economy and liveability of our region.
Thank you for taking the lead on this issue.

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

For those that are interested in development that is happening in the Township of Langley, I encourage you to check on "Langley in Progress." Langley in Progress is a monthly update of development activity and it goes back to 2000. For example in the month of September, the following suburban developments are been proposed in rural Langley and/or within the ALR.

Mountain View Mountain View Conservation Society
Non-farm use under Section 30(3) of the Agricultural Land Commission Act and rezone from Rural Zone RU-3 to a new Rural Zone for a flora and fauna conservatory.
8011 240 Street & 23898 Rawlison Crescent

Sanderson Planning
Non-farm use proposal for a 65 unit single family residential development
24453 60 Ave

AL Hendricks
Amend the Rural Plan land use designation from Small Farm Country Estates to a new designation permitting residential development, and rezone from RU-1 to a new CD zone to accommodate a 21 lot subdivision
4386 - 216 Street, 21696 & 21846 - 44 Ave.

Jacob Giesbrecht
Subdivide a portion of the property into 25 lots.
5871 248 St.

Langley MLA Mary Polak is hosting her sixth Twitter Townhall on Friday, November 18 from 3:30 to 430 p.m. Transportation continues to be a key priority for Langley residents and so, Mary would like to hear from residents on this issue. She would like to extend an invitation to you to participate in this townhall. Government works better when you are involved in it so, please let us know whether you will be able to tweet a question and participate in this important conversation.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Yesterday, I talked about how the Carvolth business park area in the Township of Langley may be transformed because of the construction of the new 202nd Street Park and Ride. I thought I'd share some more information on the Park and Ride. I took these pictures of the new underpass that will connect 88th Avenue to the Park and Ride a few weeks ago.

Park and Ride lot under consturction

Looking South from 88th Avenue

According to the Ministry of Transportation, the Park and Ride will:
-Have up to 800 parking spaces
-HOV/transit‐only on- and off-ramps to and from Highway 1, connecting to the Park and Ride and 86 Avenue via 202 Street
-An HOV/transit‐only connection from 88 Avenue to Highway 1 and the Park and Ride
-Relocated Transit Exchange ‐ The existing exchange at 200 Street will be relocated to 202 Street, allowing for more parking spaces and improved access to Highway 1 and the Golden Ears Bridge for buses
-A new pedestrian and cyclist trail connected to the Langley trail system.

Concept 2, Transit Node: This option takes advantage of the Transit Exchange near 202 Street and 86 Avenue and proposes a transit-oriented urban village in the area. Select image to enlarge.

Concept 3, Gateway-Corridor: This option features gateway and landmark developments at the interchange and pedestrian-oriented uses at key locations along 200 and 201 Streets. Select image to enlarge.

Concept 1: Base Case
The Base Case option reflects the existing policies in the Willoughby Community Plan. While this option retains much of the plan area for employment uses, it maintains a street network made up of very large blocks and assumes internal access and circulation within individual developments.

Concept 2: Transit Node
The Transit Node option takes advantage of the Transit Exchange near 202 Street and 86 Avenue and proposes a transit-oriented urban village in the area. It introduces a significant amount of residential capacity in mixed residential-commercial use and multi-family apartment buildings within walking distance of the Transit Exchange. Additional roads are proposed to accommodate additional traffic anticipated for higher intensity of land uses.

Concept 3: Gateway-Corridor
The Gateway-Corridor option aims to encourage gateway and landmark developments at the interchange and pedestrian-oriented uses at key locations along 200 and 201 Streets, while retaining significant employment capacity for industrial and office uses.

Based on the results of the open house, a new Carvolth area plan was supposed to be presented in January/February of this year for council’s consideration. Interestingly, it appeared that the process went dormant in 2011. I email the friendly staff at the Township this morning and was told that they will have a report to council on a preferred land use option in the first quarter of 2012. I really like option 2 and I’m hoping I won’t end up being depressed again about the lack of walkability in Willoughby.

In a letter to Watts this week, Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom said the province is “examining the use of LRT as well as the potential for bus rapid transit and SkyTrain technology to provide frequent, fast, reliable services to communities south of the Fraser.”

“I recognize that Surrey is growing quickly and understand how important transit connections to the community will be as we work to build a more efficient and effective transit network in the Lower Mainland,” the letter said.

....

Surrey is exploring light rail transit routes along 104th Avenue between 152nd Street and City Centre; City Centre to Newton, with an extension to South Surrey; and along Fraser Highway, between City Centre and Langley.

Fassbender said a transportation study is already underway and he expects work on a route could begin as early as next year.

What is interesting about this article is that the Province and TransLink are talking about building rapid transit in Surrey and the City of Langley with money from the gas tax and future long-term funding solution in the next few years. Also interesting is that there isn't much talk about the Township of Langley. One has to wonder if it has anything to do with the adversarial approach that the current Mayor of the Township has taken with TransLink and the Province over transportation.

It is also good to see that the Province is talking about building rapid transit in the South of Fraser ahead of or at the same time as the UBC SkyTrain line. This well help shape the South of Fraser into a more sustainable area. It would be a mistake to wait any longer to build rapid transit in the South of Fraser as the sub-region is in the process of a massive renewal of first-generation suburbia. At this point it can go either to more suburbia or to a sustainable, walkable region. I believe that the next decade will set the path for the South of Fraser for the next 50 years and that is why we have to build a transportation system that gives people choice.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

When it comes to drinking water, the proportion of households that drink primarily bottled water has dropped from 30% to 24% in 2007. Also, 63% of households have low-flow shower-heads and 42% have low-volume toilets.

With heating and cooling, about half of Canadian households have programmable thermostats, but only half of them actually use the programmable features to lower temperature when they are sleeping or are away.

Interestingly, only 3/4 of household have at least one CFL bulb while 64% of us use a clothesline or drying rack instead of a energy wasting drier.

Household hazardous waste
-More than half of the households that had expired or leftover medication (57%) returned the medication to the supplier or retailer for disposal.
-Most households (62%) took or sent their unwanted paints and solvents to a depot or drop-off centre.
-Thirty-six percent of Canadian households had unwanted electronic devices to dispose of in 2009.
-Twenty-two percent of Canadian households reported that they had dead or unwanted compact fluorescent lights to dispose of, of which over half (56%) reported they put their dead or unwanted CFLs in the garbage, while 24% reported they took or sent them to a depot or drop-off centre.

If you are a glass-half-full kind of person, looking at this report is rather encouraging. There are about 50% of households that can be changed to be more environmentally friendly which will have an huge positive impact on the environment without having to make any drastic changes in lifestyle choices.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

As part of our 2011 municipal election coverage, we sent out a questionnaire to all the mayoral candidates running in the City and Township of Langley. We will post the responses in the order they are received. Today we will be posting the reply for Township of Langley mayoral candidate Mel Kositsky.

Tell me a little bit about yourselfI am a retired journalist and a full-time councillor. www.melkositsky.ca

What got you interested in politics and local government? I covered politics and councils in Langley as a reporter since about 1976 and decided to run for office in 1993 and was elected.

Why did you decided to run for mayor this election? It was time for me to bring back trust, respect, and civility to the Mayor's office.

What are your priorities for the next council if you are elected? See website - Orderly growth is key to other priorities.

What are your unique skills that would be valuable on Council? Trust and proven leadership in municipal organizations and communication skills.

What is do you think is/would be the most challenging aspect for you sitting on Council? Financial constraints in a growing community with so many needs.

Why should somebody vote for you over the other candidates? Proven leadership and knowledge of local government.

What do you love about Langley? Green space - parks and agricultural lands.

What are some of the challenges that Langley faces and what do you plan to do to address those challenges?Changing demographics and increased urbanization - Already started with the Langley Diversity Program and Regional Growth Strategy.

How do you think that Langley can meet its Sustainability goals? We have a well developed Charter of Sustainability that we are following.

How do you plan on striking a balance between keeping taxes low and improving service? Create a long range financial strategy that can be reviewed annually based on global economic conditions.

With TransLink now looking for long-term funding, what are some of the option that you think should be explored?The recently approved 2 cent per litre gas tax should help. Not in favour of more property tax increases.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Last year I wrote a report on the Agricultural Land Reserve in the South of Fraser. One of the alarming trends that I noticed was tricky ways people were getting suburban development approved within the ALR. The Agricultural Land Commission will allow non-farm uses within the ALR which makes it look like the ALR isn’t shrinking when it really is. Back in 2001, the ALC denied an application for a non-farm use suburban development at 72 Avenue near Glover Road and Highway 10. In 2007, the Wall Financial Corporation applied again and was granted a conditional approval for their non-farm use application for what is being billed as an equestrian community.

Goodbye Farmland, Hello Suburbia - Preliminary Site Plan

This development was on last night's Township Council agenda. According to the Township’s own report this development may not be in line with the spirit of our region’s new growth strategy (RGS) and an “amendment to the RGS may be required in order to accommodate the proposed development.”

The problem with developments like this, besides weakening the ALR, is that they negatively effect Langley’s path to sustainability. High Point Equestrian Estate Community, Gloucester Industrial Estates, and now this proposed development will never see usable transit service and will never be complete walkable communities. If you live or work in these areas, you must own a car and you must drive to everything. They are development literally in the middle of farmland. The Township of Langley can't complains about lack of transit service in certain parts of Langley if it keeps approving these kinds of developments. Langley Township should be focusing its development efforts in established community and Willoughby and not allow these “one-off” suburban development in rural Langley because if this is allowed to continue Langley’s ALR and rural character will die a death by 1000 cuts.

Monday, November 7, 2011

In the summer, a marihuana dispensary that was operating in a live/work building on Fraser Highway in Downtown Langley was raided by the RCMP. Knowing some people that own property in the building, they told me that they were relieved after the raid as it seemed that people other than licensed medical marihuana users were visiting the dispensary. A few weeks ago, supporters of the Langley Medical Marijuana Dispensary appeared before Langley City council at a less than civil meeting. You can read about the delegation in the Langley Times. As a results of that delegation at tonight’s council meeting there is a motion from Mayor Fassbender to send a letter to Health Canada which includes the following:

We support the direction with the proposed improvements to the MMAP as referenced in Health Canada’s June 17, 2011 document. We agree that due consultation with all stakeholders is absolutely essential to improve the MMAP and that adequate time must be provided to licence a sufficient number of companies who can supply the amount of dried marihuana required by Program participants. Ideally, we would like to see Program participants be able to access medicinal marihuana like any other prescribed drugs through licenced pharmacies. We would also encourage Health Canada to expedite the federal regulatory process to implement the improvements as soon as possible so that Program participants do not have to wait until 2014 before they can take advantage to the improvements.

Interesting Randy Caine, who is running for City Council and is the operator of the dispensary, has been charged with possession exceeding three kilograms for the purpose of trafficking according to the Langley Advance.

“These sorts of dispensaries are illegal and, despite what some may profess, have not been supported by the courts,” said Langley RCMP Supt. Derek Cooke. “Marihuana is a very carefully regulated drug and the law does not allow for an individual to determine whom he or she believes should be able to buy it. People with a legitimate medical need can be licenced to use marihuana. They can then grow their own, or easily purchase the drug from the government’s licenced medical supplier and have it conveniently delivered to their door.”

Cooke said the police maintain that many of the dispensary customers were not licensed by Health Canada and he questions the source of the marijuana.

By all accounts it looks like this might be shaping up to be one of the election issues in the City of Langley.

Friday, November 4, 2011

Back in October, the City of Langley was concerned about financial costs of the new Langley Cenotaph in Douglas Park. It appears that the funding issue has been resolved and work in well underway for Remembrance Day next week. According to the City of Langley Press Release:

The City of Langley, in conjunction with the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 21, invites the public to attend the Cenotaph Dedication Ceremony on Wednesday, November 9th, 2011 and the Remembrance Day Ceremony on Friday, November 11th, 2011 in Douglas Park.

Members of the Langley Legion will host the Cenotaph Dedication Ceremony on Wednesday, November 9th at 2:00 p.m. in Douglas Park, 20550 Douglas Crescent. This Dedication will recognize the newly constructed monument as a symbol in recognition of the sacrifices of those who have and who continue to serve our country during times of war and peace.

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

To follow up to last week's post about transportation funding in Langley, I thought it would be good to compare Langley to a community like Abbotsford that "goes-it-alone".

If we forget about road improvements in 2010 Langley received $16.2 million in transit service. In 2010, Abbotsford received $8.1 million in transit service.

$124.19 per person is spent on transit in Langley.$58.45 per person is spent on transit in Abbotsford.

I know there has been a call from some in the South of Fraser to start our own transit agency. I don't see the benefit. Metro Vancouver has the best transit service in the province and our mode share data shows that. More people use transit in Langley Township than Abbotsford because as a region we a care about providing transportation choice and as a region we are able to lobby seniors levels of government to find ways to improve transit. If we created a South of Fraser transit agency, we would have less transit dollars, would have worse transit service, and would have a weaker voice.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

It seems that nothing gets people more excited in Langley than transportation issues. The City of Langley recently finished upgrading 208th Street between Fraser Highway and 44th Avenue. One of the issues that got people excited was proposed changes to the Grade Crescent/47th Avenue and 208th Street intersection. Originally a median was to be installed to prevent left turns onto 208th Street. That got local residents upset and the road was constructed without the controversial median. It looks like the median could be back at on the table. According to a staff report:

A review of the data has shown that there is no engineering warrant to signalize this intersection, but accident statistics are high enough to warrant consideration of design elements to reduce conflicts. The 47th Ave/Grade Crescent and 208th Street has several issues precluding the use of a roundabout in addition to a prohibitively high construction cost (due to property acquisition). Based on the review of all available data, staff working with ICBC, have concluded that from a traffic operations and safety perspective Option B is the preferred option.

Option B - Median

Option C - Roundabout

As you can see, option B is the median. Not to worry, staff's current recommendation is to do nothing for now.

Once the 48 Avenue re-construction is complete and the Master Transportation Plan update is complete, staff will re-assess the options for the intersection of Grade Crescent/47 Avenue at 208 Street and bring forward another report for Council’s consideration.

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Here you can find presentations, reports, photos, video, and other documents relating to transportation in the South Fraser region of Southern BC and beyond. This site is updated regularly, so check back often.

About Me

I am a Langley City Councillor, and advocate for creating sustainable and accessible communities.
Sustainability to me means building a community that will meet the needs of all who choose to live, work, or establish a business in their community today and into the future. It means building a community where small businesses can succeed, which provides services for all members of the community, and that protects the environment. It also means working hard to ensure that the services which a city provides remain affordable.